Palestinian anger builds over leaders' alleged corruption

Detroit News ^ | 7/21/02 | Mary Curtius

[jimkress]

JERICHO, West Bank -- Tucked away on a quiet side street, the sand-colored mansion built two years ago by Ahmed Korei, speaker of the Palestinian legislature, was meant to be a haven for the busy politician.

Instead, the 12-room home -- with its swimming pool, lush landscaping, privacy wall and guard tower -- became an embarrassing liability. Why, Palestinians began to ask publicly, were senior officials living in luxury while the continuing fight with Israel drove their people deeper into poverty?

[jimkress]

Palestinian officials offer little defense against the charges of corruption and mismanagement. Some publicly acknowledge that corruption has been endemic, and now enthusiastically embrace the cause of reform.

Sounds just like Washington D.C., doesn't it?

[Jhoffa_]

Why, Palestinians began to ask publicly, were senior officials living in luxury while the continuing fight with Israel drove their people deeper into poverty?

This isn't just a case of class envy, these people have a very real point.

The Palestinian leadership asks people to hate the jews and go blow themselves up to further their own political future and further entrench themselves.. Then at the end of the day your average palestinian on the street may be less a child or two, dirty, broke and starving.. While their leaders reside in what are effectively 12 room mansions, have money, food and intact children.

Further, if you disagree with them openly and ask them instead to govern for the betterment of the Palestinian people at large they will hang you from a lamp post and spot garbage from the koran.

[Radix]

It sounds like Beacon Hill in Boston too (Mass. State House site). be-a-con hill

[Bob J]

In fact, an investigator for the World Bank said recently that he found the levels of corruption within the Palestinian Authority "no worse than that of other Third World nations.

How comforting.

This is a three-fer. An investigating official for the World Bank acknowledges corruption and misappropriation of funds in the PA AND admits it's a common practice in third world countries AND admits they are aware of it.

The obvious quesiton is...what are they doing about it?

<...crickets...>

[VaBthang4]

1st Rule of Warfare:
"Divide and Conquer"

[stands2reason]

Maybe these people are waking up to the fact that they're only pawns in a huge game of Arabs vs. Israelis. They are supposed to be poor and miserable and pitifully blowing themselves up. It's good for the cause: "See? This is what Israel does to us!"

Except for the tiny fact that it's a blatant lie...

[Jhoffa_]

Yeah, you can bet the whispering campaign over stuff like this 12 room house has people steaming..

They will come around eventually. They can't blame the Jews forever, eventually their leaders will have to govern.

[aruanan]

Palestinian anger builds over leaders' alleged corruption

And it's been known for years that Arafat and a few others have complete, personal control over billions. The Palestinian Arab has been screwed over by the surrounding Arab nations for generations. About the only place in the entire region where he has any type of economic hope, personal freedom, and political input is in Israel.

[Joe Boucher]

No, the P.A. just has hamas and a few other pathetic terroristic outfits to back arafat up. The U.S. gubmnt has about thirty paramilitary units to back it up. B.A.T.F.,F.B.I.,Dept. of Treasury, U.S. Immigration, U.S. Army, Navy, etc. etc. etc., and these guys are good at what they do. Ask Randy Weaver.

[Sabertooth]

This is a three-fer. An investigating official for the World Bank acknowledges corruption and misappropriation of funds in the PA AND admits it's a common practice in third world countries AND admits they are aware of it.

The obvious quesiton is...what are they doing about it?

Well, as I read that statement from the article...

No one has produced hard evidence linking any senior Palestinian official directly to corrupt practices. In fact, an investigator for the World Bank said recently that he found the levels of corruption within the Palestinian Authority "no worse than that of other Third World nations."

The second sentence is exculpatory, in that the PA hasn't exceed the threshold of corruption that the World Bank is willing to tolerate.

So the answer to your question is, "Nothing more than window dressing, the World Bank is not in the business of fighting corruption, it's in the business of subsidizing it... that is, when they're not financing some catastrophe outright."

Next question: since America's the major cash cow for the World Bank, what are we going to do about it?

[TADSLOS]

"The Palestinian Authority made the mistake of distributing jobs as though they were royalties," Amr said. "Everyone from Fatah, everyone who had someone in their family who spent time in Israeli jails or who was martyred demanded jobs. And anyone who did not get a job began to talk about corruption."

Also known as the Human Bomb to Jobs Program. The officially filed complaint on PLO Form 72V would read like this:

Allah be praised! We signed up for the Human Bomb for Jobs Program last year and sent our youngest son Kahlil through the Israeli checkpoint with his custom built belt bomb you provided. He achieved martyrdom as a Jihad warrior on an Israeli bus loaded with evil Zionists of all genders and ages! Allah be praised for his glory!!

However, we have yet to receive any announcement of job opportunities for meeting our committment in the program. We know that our beloved Chairman and his staff have been diverted by other pressing business of late, flying back and forth for essential conferences pool side, but we are desperate and there's only so much you can do with falafa and cucumbers sprinkled with crumbled month old goat cheese. Is it too late to take the $25,000 cash option? Please respond soon.

Your brother in Allah!

Ahmed (Last name witheld pending notification of kin)

[Republic]

President Bush's plan is working. And it will work in Iran and Iraq and spread from there. Patience is the key.

[Publius6961]

This is long overdue. About 35 years worth, at least.

If "palestinians" didn't have to travel through Israeli territory for medical reasons or economic ones, they could be self sufficient and not have reason to complain.

If "palestinians" tolerated Jewish settlements the exact same way that they insist that Israel tolerate muslims in their midst, they would be infinitely safer.
If they had spent the hundreds of millions on useful infrastructure instead of on bombs and mayhem...

If...

[OldFriend]

They all read from the DNC fax line.

[monkeyshine]

levels of corruption within the Palestinian Authority "no worse than that of other Third World nations."

Oh, is that all? Hahahaha. In other words, Arafat is no worse than Mugabe. How does he compare to Idi Amin?

[monkeyshine]

"there will be a wave of internal assassinations."

They say this like it hasn't already happened. They have killed around 150 'collaborators' already.

It's no stretch at all to consider that a culture that encourages mass murder and suicide, that receives funding and advice from the mass killer Saddam Hussein, will turn on itself. Between Hamas, Tanzim, Islamic Jihad, Al Aqsa and myriad others, there is bound to be more internal violence. Who among them will take charge and suppress the violence of the others to make peace? All the talk in the west about peace is just that ... talk. I guess the tiger is out of the box, and much more destruction awaits the Palestinians before they will live in peace again.

[JAWs]

[A]n investigator for the World Bank said recently that he found the levels of corruption within the Palestinian Authority "no worse than that of other Third World nations."

That's what is known as 'damning with faint praise.'

[livius]

Exactly. With the money that has flowed into that area, they could have the gem of the Middle East.

It's sure taken "the people" long enough to get excited about this. I guess that's what living in a crummy two-bit dictatorship does to you.

But I think with a little encouragement from us, some of them are beginning to ask a few pertinent questions. Of course, Arafat always has his lovely apartment in Paris (where his wife lives) to go back to if the questions get too inconvenient.

[IoCaster]

"Divide and Conquer"

"We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place, until there is no refuge or no rest."
President George W. Bush in an address to a Joint Session of Congress. 09/20/01

You've got to admit that he is a man of his word.

:o)

[IoCaster]

ROFL!

Very well done. Thanks for the laugh.<p.